YULEE, Fla. — The man who pleaded guilty to murdering a Nassau County deputy took the witness stand Thursday morning in his own defense, attempting to convince jurors to spare his life.
McDowell pleaded guilty to killing Deputy Joshua Moyers during a September 2021 traffic stop that turned into a multi-day manhunt.
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Now, a jury will recommend whether he spends life in prison or gets the death penalty.
Action News Jax’s Meghan Moriarty has been in the courtroom in Yulee all morning listening to the bombshell testimony. McDowell detailed the night of the murder and apologized to the Moyers family.
“What I did was cowardly,” McDowell said as he apologized.
McDowell said if his death could bring back Moyers, they wouldn’t be in court today.
At one point, while being questioned by the prosecution, he said he apologized to his defense team for what he was about to say because he knew they wouldn’t like it.
He said during the traffic stop, he quickly became open to the possibility of shooting Deputy Moyers so he didn’t have to go to jail.
McDowell took the stand around 9:45 a.m. and court began at 8:15 a.m. Prior to McDowell’s testimony, his defense team explained to the jury McDowell’s medical history, discussing his accomplishments in the Marine Corps and how he was later diagnosed with PTSD but was not consistently taking medication.
He had several run-ins with the law, mostly tied to his drug use.
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McDowell testified to using meth and fentanyl. He said Moyers’ family deserved to hear about the night of the murder from him. McDowell went on to say he was high, he knew he had warrants, and he was afraid. He said he didn’t even think about Moyers’ life -- he said he was being selfish.
McDowell: “I took the gun out and shot him, and as he fell I fired two more rounds to make sure he wouldn’t come after me. And I just left him in the street”
Prosecutor: 10:39 “You decided your freedom was more important than his life?”
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McDowell: “No sir, I didn’t even consider his life at all.”
After McDowell finished testifying, his father took the stand, the defense asking some basic questions about McDowell’s upbringing.
Court will resume on Monday at 8:15 a.m.
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